Patna Motorcycle-borne criminals shot dead a businessman near the railway station at Fatuha in rural Patna when he was taking morning stroll on Tuesday.

The incident has created a fear psychosis in the business community as well as the morning walkers.

Police said victim Pappu Yadav, 42, was an onion trader and the murder could be fallout of property-related disputes.

He was also a leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a partner in the ruling Grand Alliance in Bihar, and had contested election to the state legislative council in 2016, the police added.

The crime took place at a time when the police chief was issuing directives to all SHOs of Patna district, to check incidents of snatching by intensifying motorcycle checking and morning patrolling.

Superintendent of police (Patna rural) Lalan Mohan Prasad said Yadav was taking morning walk when the criminals, who had been waiting for him near the railway station, fired three shots into his head and fled away. He was immediately taken to the nearby government hospital where doctors pronounced him brought dead, the rural SP said, adding that police had not received any complaints regarding threat to the life of Yadav.

Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj said an FIR under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code had been registered with Fatuha police station. The incident seemed to be a case of personal rivalry, Mahraaj said and added that police had gathered some vital clues against the assailants. He, however, declined to elaborate.

Maharaaj said Fatuha police station SHO Sujit Kumar had been suspended. There were complaints that early morning patrolling was not being done in the area, the SSP added.

Another police officer said some historysheeters of the area were being questioned in connection with the murder. The body of the deceased had been sent to Nalanda Medical College Hospital in Patna for post mortem examination, the officer said.

Meanwhile, local people and RJD supporters later blocked the Patna-Bakhtiarpur four-lane road and disrupted vehicular traffic for more than two hours. The agitators placed the body on the road and pelted stones on the police personnel. They also chased away Fatuha DSP Anoj Kumar from the spot alleging that the police were hand in gloves with criminals.

Family members claimed that Yadav had been killed by his business rivals. “Apart from being an onion trader, he was also a successful property dealer,” said Ranbir Singh, a relative of the deceased.

GRUESOME Criminals fired three shots into Pappu Yadav’s head and fled from the spot